By The Power of 4?
by Quazar Binks
Summary: After the Elders wish the Charmed Ones to defeat a demon with the ability to take powers, they uncover something a little more. Finally finished.
1. Discovery

            Piper and Paige sat at the table, looking over magazines about babies, looking at clothes.

            "Doesn't this look nice?" Paige asked, holding up a picture of a pink, fuzzy outfit. 

            "Yeah, if you think pink and fuzzy are ultimate weapons for white-lighters," Piper replied sarcastically.  Paige glared at her sister

            "If you're going to cut down all of these, your girl is going to be a naked white- lighter," Paige returned.  "I don't see what's so wrong about all of the one's I've mentioned."

            "They're all fuzzy, and all pink!" Piper explained.  "I don't know if I want to stare at the kid all day, every day if she's wearing the same thing."

            When they returned to browsing, millions of small blue and white spheres floated 

down, and materialized into Leo.  He didn't look happy.

"Hi, honey," Piper greeted him.  When she saw his face, she asked," What's wrong now?"

"The Elders have found a new threat.  There's a demon by the name of Melphuis that is after a new witch.  If he gets those powers, there's no telling how many deaths there will be."  Leo stopped, and looked down.  "The Elders wants the Charmed Ones to stop him."

            "They are always wanting something.  Okay.  Paige, let's go scry for the demon," Piper started planning.  "I'll look in the Book of Shadows for some kind of vanquishing spell or potion, and get it ready.  After you're done scrying, we can go take him out."

            The three went upstairs to the attic—Piper retrieved the Book of Shadows; Paige, a map of San Francisco and the crystal pendant on a chain; Leo, standing in the middle of the room.  As the crystal, dangling from Paige's hand, swung in a circle, Piper found a page in the book titled "Melphius."  Out loud she read:

            "Demon of shadows, his power includes the ability to mimic or steal another being's power.  Hmm…ah, here's a spell." Piper wrote it down.

            The crystal fell to the map, in a downtown area.  "Downtown, near 45th and Neimer," Paige said.  

Leo nodded.  "You two go ahead.  I'll get Phoebe.  You'll need the power of three to defeat this one."  As soon as he finished, he orbed, turning back into many blue and white spheres and flowing upwards.  Piper and Paige watched him go, and took hold of each other.  Exercising her power, Paige orbed as well, transporting her and Piper to the area.

They arrived to see a man in ragged clothing standing over a boy with his hand raised.  In it, he held a ball of orange energy, ready to throw it.  That must have been Melphius.

"Freeze!" Piper yelled, and shook her hands at the demon.  A crate nearby exploded to splinters, getting the demon's attention.

"Witch," he uttered, and threw his energy ball at her.  Paige summoned the energy ball from its course, and threw it back at him.  Stinging him, he stood dumbfounded.  

Quickly, Paige and Piper looked together at the spell Piper had copied.  Together they chanted:  

"Demon thief you be

Your powers are taken

Go to the grave

By the powers that be!"

Melphius grunted from pain, but he was too strong for the spell to work with two witches.  Instead, knowing he couldn't defeat them, he shimmered, teleporting far from the area.

            Piper and Paige rushed to the boy, to make sure he was okay.  Blood was running down his head and arm, but it wasn't too bad.  After a combined effort to staunch the blood, they tried to wake him up.

            Slowly, his eyes opened.  "Who…are you?  What happened?"  Then, as if he realized what had happened, crawled back as quickly as he could.  Paige tried to follow, but with a quick motion of the boy's hands, she was stopped suddenly, as if running to a wall.  Helped up by Piper, the youngest sister looked at the boy in awe.  

"He…he has powers."

The boy looked scared.  "I have what?"


	2. Veil Uncovered

Leo and Phoebe materialized in the living room of the house, and rushed over to the couch to join Piper and Paige in gazing at the boy. He lay sleeping, his face a little pale. "Who is he?" Phoebe asked. Paige and Piper both shook their heads. "No clue, but we think he's the "witch" we're after. Did the Elders say anything about his power?" Piper asked Leo. The white-lighter nodded. "'He shall have the magical shield, which he shall throw upon his enemies.' In any case, he can block magic-and physical-attacks." "He didn't seem to know he had them." Paige touched her arm. "And it hurts!" "You saw him use them?" Leo asked. "Yeah, she ran into them," Piper answered. "So, now that we've got him, what do we do with him? Keep him until we vanquish Melphius?" Before Leo answered, the boy stirred, and opened his eyes. They became wide as he saw the people around him. "Who.who are you people?" "It's all right," Paige soothed. "We're the good guys. I'm Paige, and these are my sisters, Piper and Phoebe. That's Leo." The boy stared at them all anxiously, but then slowly said," I'm Marty. Marty Baywell. Do you know what's wrong with me?" Phoebe laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's not a curse. It's a gift. You are a witch, like us. You have a power to help defeat evil." Marty stared at her as if her nose had turned red and a purple wig sprouted from her head. "Witches? As in, magic? Powers? What's really going on?" The Charmed Ones and Leo looked at each other for a minute, as if they were telepathically talking. After a minute or two, they broke up, and turned back to Marty. Piper spoke. "I know this is hard to digest, but it is true. How can we prove it to you?" "You could show me your own 'powers'," Marty suggested jokingly. "I'm sure if you flew around on a broom, I'd be a believer." Paige was about to comment, but Piper stopped her. Instead, Paige orbed. As her body turned to a magnificent blue-white, Marty's face turned from smugness to shock. When the youngest sister materialized again, she held a smile on her face. "Oh my." Marty trailed off. Looking at his hands, he started again. "I.I thought I was dreaming at first. Or that something else was happening. I never thought." "It's okay, honey," Phoebe soothed. "Some people are born with the ability to gain these gifts. We acquired ours after our grandmother's death. Do you know how you maybe acquired yours?" Marty seemed to think hard, squinting to add more concentration. "My aunt.Nanny.she died.she was burned." "Burned?" Leo asked, as if it brought some faint memory. "It's probably demon related. Marty, what's your aunt's last name?" "Vernhill. Doris Vernhill. She's my mom's sister." Leo then realized it. "I know his aunt. Another white-lighter asked me to help him keep an eye on her. He said that there was some kind of demon activity that had to do with her powers. Power of Stopping, or Shield, or something." "Marty, were you and your aunt close?" Piper asked. Marty nodded. "Did she have an old-looking book, or anything of that sort?" "She.the night she died.she took me into her attic.she made me read from her recipe book.that's what she called it." Marty trailed off. Phoebe nodded in understanding. Knowing she was going to die, and not wanting her powers to be given to demons, she had her nephew say the spell for the powers to be transferred. Similar to the Power of Three spell, she thought. "I want to kill that.that.that thing," Marty finally said. "I want to kill the demon that killed my aunt. That killed my mom, my dad, my uncle. I want to learn how to be a witch.like you." The Charmed Ones looked at each other. They had gained an ally in the fight against evil, but an unstable one. 


	3. Disappointment and Question

"Okay, now we add a pinch of salt," Piper said, guiding Marty through the mixing of a potion. It would hopefully guide them to the demon, so they could vanquish him. Marty threw in the pinch, and continued to stir. "Like this?" he asked. "Yep. Now, just keep doing that for a few more minutes until it really starts to boil." She left the young man and walked to the bottom of the staircase. "Phoebe, Paige, we're almost ready." The stairs started booming as the two witches came down, holding the railing to stabilize them. As the three walked into the kitchen together, they saw Marty filling a vial with the potion. "I think it's ready," Marty said. Piper walked over, and sealed it. "Yep. Now, we just need the spell." Phoebe nodded. "Here it is. It should take us to him. If not to him, him to us." "Then let's get started." The four stood together in a circle, and the Charmed Ones chanted the words copied from the Book of Shadows: "We wish to find The demon in mind May we be brought to And turn a would be battle into one fought through." Piper dropped the vial, and a screen of smoke surrounded them. They could feel the effects of traveling fast as extreme winds rushed at them. Then, all of a sudden, they stopped, in an abandoned storage building. Light leaked in through windows high up, showing the group the gray walls and concrete supports. In the middle of the room stood Melphius. "There he is!" Piper shouted, and pulled out the vanquishing spell. Before they could start chanting it, the demon shot a ball of energy out of his hand at them. Marty's hands shot out, and the energy ball was dissipated by the boy's power. The Charmed Ones continued. "Demon he be Steals powers with glee We vanquish Melphius here And rid the world of his cheer." Smoke rose from the demon, and he started screaming in pain, but nothing happened to him. Looking at himself, making sure he was fine, he then looked up at the witches, and smiled. Another energy ball leaked from his hand, and again, it was extinguished by Marty. "Why the Hell didn't it work?" Piper asked. "I don't know, but we've got to get out of here," Phoebe replied. "Right," Paige acknowledged, and touched everyone there. Before another of Melphius' energy balls could hit them, the four witches orbed out, and back to the Halliwell house. 


	4. Realization

"Why the hell didn't that work?" Piper asked to no one. Phoebe was rubbing her forehead; Paige's eyes were pasted to the floor. Marty tried to answer. "Maybe the potion was defective. Maybe I did something wrong with it. It's my fault." Paige placed her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it. "No, no. It's not your fault. Maybe.maybe he's too strong for the Charmed Ones." "Then how are we going to take him down?" Phoebe asked. Suddenly, Leo orbed in. "How'd it go?" he asked, and looked at his wife. Reading the expression on Piper's face, he asked," What happened?" "We had the potion, the spell, the Power of Three." Phoebe explained. "No good. Melphius smoked, but it wasn't enough." "A demon too strong." Leo imagined. It seemed impossible. The Charmed Ones were the most powerful witches in the world, and they couldn't defeat one power-stealing demon? He couldn't be that strong. "Maybe the Elders know something." "I hope someone does; pretty soon I'm going to lose it," Piper said, her face twisted in rage. Leo sighed, and orbed out. "We must have done something wrong," Paige reasoned. "Maybe we didn't read the spell right? Threw the potion at him at the wrong time?" "Everything was right," Phoebe replied. "It was us." "What do you mean?" " I mean, maybe the Power of Three wasn't enough." "We've already ruled that out though," Piper complained. "We ruled out the possibility that he's stronger than the Charmed Ones. We made ourselves believe that if we couldn't kill him, no one can." "Oh, I see," Paige realized. "The Power of Three didn't work, but we never tried the Power of Four?" "Four?" Piper asked. Following Paige's pointing finger to Marty, she said," Oh." "What?" Marty asked. "What could I do that the Charmed Ones can't?" "Give us more power for the spell. We'll say the spell together, and vanquish Melphius once and for all." 


	5. Attack of the New Plan

The Charmed Ones, Marty, and Leo walked down the dark and foggy alley, potions in hand and waiting for anything. Stopping at a beaten up door, they took one final stop to discuss what they were doing. "Ready?" Piper asked Marty. He nodded, not wanting to let his courage escape. "Good. Here we go." She opened the door, and they carefully moved inside. Scanning the room, they edged farther in. The place was empty, devoid of anyone besides the witches and white lighter, besides the dust, insects, and arachnids, and barely any light came in. "Wow, this demon knows how to live," Paige commented sarcastically. It aroused a laugh from Marty. The group began split up, and look around. Suddenly, a being shimmered out of thin air. The demon, Melphius, stood in front of them with surprise in his eyes. "I didn't expect to see you here," he said. "Yeah, well, scrying for your demon butt wasn't easy," Piper retorted. Melphius hurled an energy ball at her, but Marty blocked it with a quick movement of his hands. The energy dissipated immediately. "His powers would have been a great addition to mine," Melphius noted. "And then you witches interfered." Next, he hurled a fireball at Paige. Her body orbed as it passed through her, and she regained herself. Looking at Phoebe, Melphius glared at her, and another energy ball took off towards her. With a leap, Phoebe kicked in her levitation powers, and hovered over the ball's path. Landing, she regrouped with her sisters and Marty. "Ready?" she asked, unfolding a piece of paper. The others nodded, and together they chanted: "By the Power of Four Let this spell Even the score!" Melphius started glowing, and vapors left through his mouth. Without the powers he had stolen, he was now equal to the Charmed Ones. Again, the quartet chanted: "Demon he be Steals powers with glee We vanquish Melphius here And rid the world of his cheer." Crying out in pain, the demon burned to ashes as hellish fire enveloped in. Gone from this world for good, the Charmed Ones let out a sigh of relief as Melphius' life was extinguished. Nodding to Leo, the white-lighter orbed them back to the manor. 


	6. Celebration

"I am so glad he's gone." The Halliwell sisters, Marty, and Leo sat in the living room of the manor, sipping from glasses of alcohol or soda, depending on age. It was an hour since they had vanquished Melphius, and were now taking time to enjoy it. "I am too. Finding out you're a witch is tough enough," Marty said," without having demons hovering over your back." "Well," Piper said," get used to it. They'll be after you now that they know what kind of powers you have. The ability to block is really powerful." "Yeah, so watch out!" Paige said jokingly, and everyone laughed. "So, where are you going to go now?" "Actually, I was just going to ask something." "Yeah? What?" "Well, I was thinking that, since my aunt was the only witch in our family, and killed." "Yes?" "Well, I was hoping you could help me develop my powers. I want to become a full-time witch, like you three. I could stay with you." The Charmed Ones looked at each other, and turned their heads back, smiling at him. "Of course," Phoebe answered. Looking at the time, she continued. "Oh, you must be tired, long day and all. Here, I'll take you up to my room; you can sleep there tonight." "Thanks," Marty replied, and Phoebe led him upstairs, to her bedroom. Meanwhile, Piper, Paige, and Leo discussed Marty's staying. "Do you think it's alright?" Paige asked. "Well, he's protected by the Charmed Ones, and himself," Leo answered. "His power should shield him well. In fact, if he wants to become a witch, it will help him more if he has teachers." Piper nodded. "Yeah, I suppose. He can stay with us until he wants to leave."  
  
Meanwhile, Phoebe led Marty into her room. "It's messy, sorry about that." "That's fine," Marty assured. "I'll just be sleeping in it, not living." Phoebe laughed. "Yeah, I guess." She left, shutting the door behind her. Turning to a mirror on the wall, Marty looked into it. "She's gone now; you can come out." A white form stepped from it, and stood in front of the new witch. Her black hair went down to her cheeks, and a gown of white adorned her body. "You know who I am?" "I saw pictures downstairs," Marty answered. "I figured you were close to them, so it was alright." "You're right." The form stepped towards him. "I've been assigned by the Elders to be your white-lighter." "Like Leo?" The form smiled. "Exactly like him. You know, he used to be my white-lighter." "Yeah? What happened?" "I died. He had to save two others before me; by the time he healed them, I was already dead." Marty's head lowered. "I'm sorry." "Don't worry about it." The woman stopped. "Don't tell them you've seen me, or that I'm a white-lighter. They aren't ready." "Okay, Prue. I won't." 


End file.
